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CREDIT  .  . 
FONCIER  . 


COMPANY 


3IiV£it03,   iyiEJCICO. 


BWfAVAVAVJtSI<wiUTOMl7**AMKt1Ry/wik»Jl^ 


The  credit  Foncier  Company 


// 


(THE    HOME    CREDIT    COMPANY,) 

A  CORPORATION  ORGANIZED  FOR  BUSINESS  PURPOSES. 


IK 


SINALOA,  MEXICO. 


PROSPECTUS 

fcowiNG  THE  Conditions  that  Called  for  its  Formation,  with 
A  Full  DEscRirnos  of  thf.   Plans,  Location,  and 
The  Work  Already  Accompushed. 


OFFICERS 


albert  K.  OWEN, 
lOHN  W.  LOVELL. 
I)   D.  CHIDESTER. 


LHAIRMAN, 
I  RKASt'RBK, 
SiCKKTAtV, 


N'ew  York  Cily. 
N'evr  York  City. 

Chicago 


COLONY  OFFICE: 


Topolobampo, 


-Sutc  of  Sinaloa,  Mexico. 


Chicago, 
New  York, 


BRANCH   OFFICES: 

Robert  H.  CowDREY,      806  Royal  Insurance  iJldg. 
Albert  K.  Owen.  -  33  Nassau  -Street. 

C.  H.  Hoi  FMAN 


t 


^3  "^3 


THE    CREDIT    FONCIER   COMPANY 
OF  SINALOA,  MEXICO. 


The  impression  is  as  widespread  as  the  globe  that 
monopolies  are  responsible  for  many  of  the  bad  condi- 
tions that  surround  us,  yet  to  reach  and  fully  convince 
the  millions  of  people  necessary  to  bring  about  a 
change  in  the  policy  of  any  great  government  would 
be  a  task  not  easily  accomplished.  It  is  possible,  how- 
ever, with  much  less  effort,  to  gather  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  people  together  and  form  a  colony  where  anti- 
monopoly  principles  could  be  applied,  and  thus  make 
demonstrated  fact  speak  with  a  force  unknown  to  even 
the  best  of  theories. 

An  Anti-Monopoly  Colony, 

with  this  object  in  view,  has,  therefore,  been  started, 
with  a  present  membership  of  over  five  thousand  per- 
sons, by  Albert  K.  Owen,  C.  B.  Hoffman,  J.  M.  Lim- 
bocker,  John  W.  Lovell  and  John  W.  Bridenthal,  and 
associated  with  them  are  Robert  H.  Cowdrey,  Dr.  M. 
Fluerscheim,  Marie  Howland,  Alvin  J.  Wilber,  C.  F. 
Lindstrom,  D.  D.  Chidester,  G.  C.  Clemens,  H.  A. 
Hart,  VV.  A.  Porter,  E.  E.  Thornton  and  William 
Butler. 

3 


4  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY. 

To  place  the  plan  of  this  colony  before  the  reader  in 
the  clearest  possible  light  two  things  are  necessary — 
first,  the  reason  why  any  plan  should  be  proposed ; 
second,  the  plan  itself  must  be  so  clearly  set  forth  that 
the  reader  can  easily  understand  it. 

For  this  purpose  a  concise  statement  of  what  the 
social  problem  is  has  first  been  given.  Following  this 
the  cause  of  these  evil  conditions  is  shown,  and  from 
these  the  conclusion  is  drawn  as  to  what  is  necessary 
to  correct  them,  and,  finally,  the  colony  plan,  by 
which  it  is  practically  accomplished. 

The  Necessity  for  a  Colony. 

Even  the  careless  observer  must  have  noticed  that 
there  is  at  this  time  a  more  widespread  inquiry  into 
the  causes  that  affect  our  social  relations  than  ever  be- 
fore in  the  history  of  the  world.  We  hear  it  from  the 
pulpit,  in  the  banquet  halls  of  the  rich  and  the  assem- 
bly rooms  of  the  common  people,  and  in  all  of  them 
this  question  is  discussed  with  such  earnestness  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  that  they  consider  it  a  most  important 
1)ne,  even  though  all  its  details  are  not  seen. 

It  was  not  until  man  was  able  to  produce  more  than 
a  bare  living  that  the  social  problem  was  made  possible. 
And,  for  reasons  that  can  be  clearly  shown,  there  was 
no  social  problem  in  those  days  when  man  produced 
no  more  than  was  indispensable  for  his  own  use.  As 
soon,  however,  as  he  was  able  to  produce  more  than 
the  bare  necessities  of  life,  it  became  the  custom  to 
exploit,  or  take  from  him  this  surplus,  and  give  it  to  a 
favored  few,  who,  it  is  claimed,  were  thus  made  able 
to  secure  a  higher  culture,  by  reason  of  the  wealth  and 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY.  5 

leisure  thus  obtained,  than  would  otherwise  have  been 
possible  at  that  time,  and  that  a  more  rapid  advance  in 
civilization  was  thereby  made  possible. 

Whether  this  theory  was  true  or  false  in  those  days 
when  the  production  of  wealth  was  not  great  enough 
to  supply  the  higher  needs  of  all  the  people,  matters 
but  little  to  us  in  this  age,  for  now  we  have  so  far  sub- 
dued the  unlimited  forces  of  nature  that  we  are  able  to 
produce  enough  to  supply  the  highest  wants  of  every- 
one, and,  therefore,  the  conditions  are  not  the  same. 
On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  continuing  of  this 
system  of  exploitage  under  these  changed  conditions 
has  produced  evils  that  now  threaten  the  very  existence 
of  our  civilization.  And  the  question  of  how  these 
evils  may  be  overcome  is  the  social  problem  that  must 
be  solved. 

This  enormous  increase  in  our  power  to  produce 
wealth  not  only  makes  this  system  of  exploitage  un- 
necessary, but,  as  will  be  shown,  even  the  favored  few 
are  no  longer  benefited  by  it,  and  the  further  progress 
in  civilization  is  checked.  Because  this  system  of 
exploitage  limits  the  actual  production  of  ivcalth  to 
bare  necessities  for  the  masses,  and  to  such  luxuries 
only  as  the  favored  few  desire. 

As  this  proposition  maybe  said  to  involve  the  whole 
question,  it  will  be  necessary  to  establish  it  beyond  the 
possibility  of  a  reasonable  doubt. 

We  easily  understand  that  the  actual  production  of 
wealth  must  depend  not  only  upon  the  power  to  pro- 
duce, but  also  upon  the  demand.  Things  for  which 
there  is   no  demand   are  worthless,  and  therefore  will 


6  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY. 

not  be  produced  even  though  men   starve  for  want  of 
work  to  do. 

This  system  of  exploitage  always  reduces  the  de- 
mand, because  it  takes  a  part  of  his  production  away 
from  the  producer  and  leaves  him  less  able  to  buy. 

With  the  masses  thus  made  unable  to  buy  as  much 
as  they  produce,  and  the  favored  few  unable  to  con- 
sume the  surplus,  it  naturally  follows  that  the  actual 
production  of  wealth  must  be  greatly  reduced,  and 
also  that  it  must  concentrate  more  and  more  in  the 
hands  of  the  few.  And  the  fact  that  this  tribute  must 
be  paid  in  money  instead  of  in  products  produces  a 
most  unhealthy  congestion  of  the  whole  system  of  com- 
mercial exchanges,  whereby  an  enormous  part  of  the 
whole  of  our  industrial  energy  is  consumed  in  trying 
to  exchange  goods  for  money  with  which  to  pay  this 
tribute. 

Under  these  conditions  the  demand  for  workers 
must  grow  less  and  less  as  their  producing  powers 
increase.  By  this  means  they  are  forced  into  a  des- 
perate struggle  to  secure  such  work  as  there  is,  in 
order  that  they  may  live.  And  because  of  it  even  the 
successful  ones  are  compelled  to  accept  any  pay  that 
may  be  offered  for  their  work,  while  those  who  fail  to 
secure  it  must  either  steal  or  starve. 

We  need  only  glance  at  the  actual  experiences  of 
our  every-day  life  to  be  convinced  that  these  things 
are  true,  and,  being  thus  assured,  we  must  recognize 
that  this  system  of  exploitage,  which  is  a  "  relic  of  a 
barbarous  age,"  is  responsible  for  these  evils  ;  and, 
further,  that  it  also  fails  to  give  as  many  blessings  to 
the  favored  few  as  they  would  otherwise  receive  under 


THE  CREDIT  TOXCIEK  COMPANY.  7 

conditions  where  the  production  of  wealth  was  un- 
limited. 

These  facts  force  us  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
system  of  exploitage  is  unnecessary.  That  it  produces 
most  distressing  evils,  and  defeats  the  very  purpose  for 
which  it  was  instituted.  Because  :  //  is  impossible  to 
despoil  the  masses ^  without  also  reducing  the  production 
of  wealth  to  a  much  greater  extent. 

The  Social  Problem, 

therefore,  is :  How  to  secure  the  full  product  of  their 
toil  to  every  member  of  the  community. 

Thanks  to  the  untiring  efforts  of   those  who  have 

•ivcn  this  question  their  earnest  attention,  it  is  not  a 

iilTicult  task  at  this  time  to  clearly  point  out  the  means 

by  which  this  may  be  accomplished,  and  rich  and  poor 

alike  be  blessed  by  a  hig^her  civilizatior  than  man  has 

ever  before  known. 

To  enter  into  the  long  line  of  reasoning  that  has  led 
up  to  these  conclusions  would  be  tiresome  as  well  as 
needless.  It  is  not  so  important  to  know  how  these 
conclusions  have  been  reached  as  how  near  correct  they 
are.  To  decide  this  we  have  only  to  measure  them  by 
the  actual  experiences  of  our  every-day  life,  and,  find- 
ing that  they  stand  this  test,  wc  may  safely  rely  upon 
their  being  correct. 

Hy  this  test  we  have  found  the  cause  of  the  evils  ;  now 
let  us  proceed  to  the  practical  application  of  these  prin- 
ciples, so  that  in  our  day  and  in  our  generation  their 
beneficial  results  may  be  secured. 

History  tells  us  that  in  former  days  the  privilege  of 
exploiting  the  masses  was  granted  to  the  favored  few 


8  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY. 

by  the  sovereign  power,  or  king.  Thus  backed  by  the 
throne,  as  well  as  by  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of 
the  people,  the  favored  few  were  able,  at  that  time,  to 
despoil  the  masses  openly,  by  levying  tribute  directly 
on  the  product  of  their  toil.  As  the  intelligence  of 
the  people  increased,  however,  and  they  gradually  out- 
grew their  superstition,  it  became  necessary  for  the 
favored  few  to  change  their  method  of  collecting  this 
tribute,  so  that  the  people  might  not  be  able  to  see  that 
it  passed  directly  into  the  hands  of  their  despoilers. 

Methods,  therefore,  often  change,  but  the  tribute 
never  grows  less.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  method 
has  been  improved  the  tribute  has  been  increased, 
until  now  the  amount  taken  from  the  people  is  greater 
than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The 
method  by  which  this  tribute  is  taken  at  the  present 
time  is  so  well  hidden  under  the  regular  usages  of  com- 
merce and  trade  that  but  few  of  the  people  realize  it  is 
being  taken  from  them,  and  the  hundreds  of  millions 
of  tribute  thus  taken  each  year  hardly  produce  more 
than  an  ill-defined  feeling  that  something  is  wrong, 
while  rarely,  if  ever,  is  a  protest  made  directly  against 
the  system  itself.  That  this  tribute  is  taken  from  all  of 
the  industrious  classes;  that  high  and  low  alike  are  in 
its  grasp,  admits  of  no  questioning.  The  present  con- 
dition of  all  the  industrious  classes,  our  merchants, 
farmers  and  laborers,  testifies  to  its  unlimited  power. 

The  Remedy. 

Taken  in  its  broad  meaning,  the  word  "  monopoly  " 
represents  this  power  which  gives  the  favored  few  the 
legal  right  to  levy  tribute  on  their  fellow-men  without 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY.  9 

giving  an  equivalent  in  return.  The  remedy  is,  there- 
fore, to  do  away  with  monopoly  in  every  form.  This 
remedy  is  easy  to  understand,  the  reasons  for  it  are 
clear,  and  in  its  application  it  is  far  from  being  compli- 
cated. 

Take  away  these  special  rights  and  privileges, 
backed  as  they  are  by  the  armed  forces  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  monopoly  will  die.  Remove  this  element  of 
force,  and  tribute  will  not  be  paid ;  the  system  of  ex- 
ploitage  will  cease,  and  the  people  will  be  free.  Then 
industry  will  prosper;  the  production  of  wealth  will 
rise  to  meet  the  highest  needs  of  the  people,  whose 
demand  will  then  be  equal  to  their  full  producing 
power.  Then  work  will  not  be  hard  to  find;  grim- 
visaged  want  will  no  longer  stare  the  willing  worker  in 
the  face,  and  charity  will  be  unknown. 

The  Practical  Application. 

Unaided  and  alone  these  colonists  have  thus  far  paid 
in  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  with  which  they 
have  secured  and  partly  paid  for  their  colony  lands, 
situated  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  the  State  of  Sinaloa, 
Mexico.  Great  care  was  used  in  selecting  this  site, 
which  combines  the  great  commercial  advantages  of  a 
fine  harbor  with  unlimited  natural  fertility  of  soil.  The 
perfect  healthfulness  of  the  climate,  evenness  of  tem- 
perature, and  natural  beauty  of  the  site  make  this  a 
location  that  would  please  even  the  most  exacting 
person. 

The  pioneers  are  now  preparing  the  way  for  those 
who  are  to  follow  so  soon  as  suitable  accommodations 
have  been  made.     They  have  already  constructed  an 


lo  THE  CREDIT  FONCIEk  COMPANY, 

irrigating  canal  eig^ht  miles  in  length  that  under  ordi- 
nary conditions  would  have  cost  at  least  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  This  canal  when  completed  will  be 
thirty  miles  long,  and  run  direct  from  the  Fuerte  river 
through  the  colony  lands,  through  Pacific  City  and 
empty  into  the  bay  of  Topolobampo.  The  entire  cost 
will  be  about  $350,000,  nearly  all  of  which  will  be 
paid  for  with  their  own  labor.  The  water  will  be 
ready  for  irrigating  several  thousand  acres  of  land  by 
May,  1892,  thus  putting  the  colonists  upon  a  self  sup- 
porting basis,  without  any  danger  of  drought  or  risk  to 
their  crops.  The  work  and  all  the  necessary  funds 
have  been  given  by  the  members'  without  either 
begging  or  borrowing  a  dollar.  Thus  far  the  work  has 
all  been  preparatory  rather  than  productive.  But  now, 
with  a  finished  canal  to  irrigate  their  lands,  it  is  possible 
for  the  community  to  begin  to  be  self-supporting,  and 
from  this  time  on  the  members  can  go  forward  as  fast 
as  shelter  can  be  provided  for  them. 

The  coast  steamers,  which  are  under  contract  to 
make  regular  trips  to  and  from  the  colony,  are  the 
only  means  of  transportation  at  this  time.  Arrange- 
ments for  raising  the  necessary  funds  have  been  com- 
pleted, however,  and  the  work  of  construction  has 
commenced  on  a  thousand-mile  railway  that  wilL  con- 
nect this  colony  on  the  Pacific  coast  with  the  harbor  of 
Galveston,  Texas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This  line, 
as  surveyed,  runs  through  a  well-peopled  district  that 
is  rich  in  agricultural  products,  and  filled  with  coal, 
timber  and  the  precious  metals,  all  of  which  are  simply 
awaiting  transportation  to  the  markets  of  the  outside 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIEk  COMPANY.  if 

world.  In  this  connection  The  Railway  Age  of  a 
recent  date  says: 

"  A  trans-continental  railway.  1,200  miles  long,  con- 
necting the  Pacific  Ocean  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is 
lieing  constructed  by  the  founders  of  the  colony  at 
Topolobampo  Bay.  •  •  •  It  will  be  a  new  thing, 
and  a  pleasant  one,  to  see  a  railway  built,  owned  and 
operated  by  its  employes,  each  clerk,  trainman  and 
section  hand  being  at  tlu-  s.mu*  time  a  stockholder, 
more  or  less  bloated 

With  this  line  completed,  the  transportation  facilities 
will  be  of  the  best  to  and. from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

That  all  this  has  not  been  accomplished  without 
spending  much  in  care  and  hard  labor,  is  not  denied. 
That  much  more  will  be  required,  is  also  true.  But 
actual  e.xperience  has  shown  that,  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  new  hope  that  actuates  these  men,  they  work 
like  tigers,  and  accomplish  almost  marvelous  results, 
happy  withal,  for  they  see  bright  visions  of  what  the 
future  has  in  store  for  them  and  their  children. 

This  colony  has  no  visionary  scheme  to  try;  no  new 
religion  to  establish.  It  simply  makes  exploitation 
impossible,  by  shutting  out  all  monopolies. 

STATEMENT  OF  PRINCIPLES. 

The  land  and  all  other  natural  resouices,  as  well  as 
all  public  utilities  that  are  in  any  way  monopolies,  or 
that  would  in  any  way  confer  an  unjust  advantage  if 
left  in  private  hands,  are  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
people  for  their  mutual  benefit,  subject,  however,  to 
such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  made  by  the 
members  from  time  to  time.     Provided:  That  under 


12  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY, 

no  circumstances  :.hali  any  of  these  natural  resources  be 
sold,  mortgaged  or  alienated  in  any  way  by  the  com- 
pany or  by  any  of  its  members.  . 

By  this  means  monopoly  is  entirely  shut  out  and  ex- 
ploitation is  made  impossible.  In  all  other  matters, 
however,  the  people  are  entirely  free  to  work  together 
(co-operate)  or  to  conduct  their  private  afifairs  as  suits 
them  best,  so  long  as  they  do  not  infringe  upon  the 
equal  rights  of  others. 

The  Basis  of  Exchange 

is  "  a  service  for  a  service;"  but  the  adjustment  be- 
tween the  members  as  to  the  relative  exchange  value 
of  their  products  is  left  to  their  good  sense,  and  to  the 
general  economic  laws  that  govern  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction. With  those  who  are  not  members,  however, 
the  usual  custom  of  supply  and  demand  will  be  the 
basis  of  exchange  between  them  and  the  members. 

A  Temporary  Organization, 

consisting  of  nine  directors,  with  Albert  K.  Owen  as 
chairman,  has  charge  of  the  colony  affairs  until  the 
first  Tuesday  in  February,  1893,  at  which  time  a 
stockholders*  meeting  will  be  held  for  the  purpose  of 
making 

A  Permanent  Organization. 

At  this  February  meeting,  each  stockholder  per- 
sonally, or  by  written  proxy,  may  cast  one  vote  for 
each  share  of  stock  held  by  him  in  The  Credit  Foncier 
Company.     In  the   meantime,   it  is    the   duty  of   the 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIEK  COMPANY.  13 

temporary  directors  to  draft  the  principles,  charter  and 
by-laws  for  the  guidance  of  the  permanent  officers  and 
for  the  guidance  of  the  business  affairs  of  the  colony. 
A  copy  is  then  to  be  submitted  to  each  member  to 
elicit  suggestions  and  alterations,  and  when  these  have 
been  received,  the  directors  shall  make  a  second  draft 
in  conformity  with  the  suggestions  thus  made,  and 
present  it  to  the  meeting  of  the  stockholders  for  them 
to  act  upon.  At  that  meeting  they  shall  also  elect  ten 
directors,  who  shall  have  charge  of  the  business  affairs 
of  the  colony  during  the  term  for  which  they  are 
elected,  subject,  however,  to  such  rules  and  regulations 
as  will  maintain  and  perpetuate  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples of  the  colony.  These  fundamental  principles 
are  as  practical  as  they  are  simple.  To  apply  them  no 
unnatural  or  even  unusual  conditions  are  necessary. 
The  steps  required  to  shutout  monopolies  having  been 
taken,  all  further  rules  and  regulations  are  left  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  the  people,  with  absolute  liberty  to  say 
what  they  shall  be  as  time  and  experience  show  their 
needs.  Voluntary  co-operation  will  be  encouraged, 
but  no  one  will  be  forced  to  co-operate  against  his  will. 
The  best  advice  that  experience  can  furnish  will  be 
obtained,  but  the  power  to  decide  the  course  to  be 
adopted  will  rest  entirely  in  their  hands.  In  all  things, 
therefore,  the  people  will  have  the  most  perfect 
freedom,  except  in  those  things  which  would  confer 
unjust  advantages  upon  some  to  the  disadvantage  of 
others.  These  must  be  owned  or  at  least  controlled 
by  the  people  if  all  are  to  be  equally  free.  Under 
these  conditions,  who  can  doubt  that  most  beneficial 
results  will  follow?     Who  can  doubt  that  each  one  will 


14  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY. 

receive  the   full  product  of  his  toil,  and  that  perfect 
justice  will  be  done? 

Membership. 

The  membership  fee  of  $ioo  pays  its  full  share  of 
the  cost  of  the  land  and  all  immediate  expenses  for  pub- 
lic improvements.  The  earnings  of  railways  and  other 
public  businesses  will  pay  the  future  public  expenses. 
Therefore  no  taxes  will  ever  be  levied  on  the  people  of 
this  colony.  Thus  a  home  and  sheltering  roof,  when 
once  obtained,  will  ever  after  be  secure. 

The  only  expense  to  the  member,  therefore,  is  the 
membership  fee,  the  whole  of  which  may  be  paid  at  once, 
or  only  so  much  as  may  be  agreed  upon,  and  the  bal- 
ance paid  out  of  future  earnings  in  the  colony;  but  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  workers  in  the  ditch  are 
to  be  supplied  with  food  and  clothing;  that  horses  must 
have  feed,  and  that  payments  must  be  made  on  the 
purchase  price  of  the  land,  all  of  which  must  come  from 
these  fees.  For  these  reasons  it  is  necessary  that  each 
new  member  shall  pay  in  a  considerable  part  of  his 
membership  fee  before  going  upon  the  colony  lands,  all 
of  which  goes  into  the  public  treasury,  and  not  into  pri- 
vate hands.  No  salaries  are  paid  to  any  of  the  officers 
outside  the  colony,  and  every  dollar  of  the  investment 
is  used  for  colony  purposes  only. 

Security. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  state  that,  even 
under  the  most  unfavorable  conditions,  the  security  of 
all  investments  will  remain  as  strong  as  could  be  de- 
sired.    The   chance  of  failuj-e  to  pay  for  all  the  land 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY.  15 

may  seem  like  a  very  remote  liability,  yet  it  was 
deemed  best  to  secure  absolute  title  to  such  portions  of 
the  land  as  might  be  paid  for,  rather  than  take  any  risk 
of  losing  all  because  all  had  not  been  paid  for.  This  pre- 
caution has  been  taken,  and  the  colony  owes  nothing 
on  the  land,  neither  are  any  of  the  members  held  liable 
for  the  balance  remaining  unpaid.  This  has  been  ac- 
complished by  making  The  Kansas  Sinaloa  Investment 
Company  a  trustee  to  hold  the  lands  as  a  whole,  to  re- 
lease them  in  such  portions  and  so  fast  as  they  are  paid 
for.  There  remains,  therefore,  no  chance  of  loss,  even 
though  we  failed  to  pay  another  dollar,  for  in  that 
case  the  proportion  we  had  paid  for  would  be  set  off  to 
the  colony,  free  of  all  debt,  and  the  balance  not  paid 
for  would  simply  go  back  to  the  original  owners.  Yet, 
after  all  this  has  been  said,  we  realize  that  it  would  be 
much  better  for  the  colony  if  the  whole  amount  needed 
to  fully  pay  for  the  land  could  be  secured  within  a  short 
time,  and  thus  place  the  colony  where  no  power  on 
earth  could  dispossess  them.  To  accomplish  this  is  the 
principal  cause  of  this  pamphlet  being  issued.  Mill- 
ions of  dollars  are  freely  given  each  year  to  charities 
that,  by  their  very  nature,  must  degrade  and  destroy 
the  finest  and  noblest  qualities  of  manhood  and  woman- 
hood by  making  public  paupers  of  those  who  receive 
this  charity,  which,  at  best,  gives  only  temporary 
relief. 

If  this  colony  offered  only  temporary  rchef  the 
founders  would  not  have  the  heart  to  work  for  its  suc- 
cess. That  it  does  offer  a  practical  means  of  obtain- 
ing most  beneficial  results,  by  giving  all  an  equal 
chance  to  prosper  according  to  each  individual's  indus- 


1 6  THE  CREDIT  FONCIEK  COMPANY. 

try  and  ability,  is  a  conviction  that  makes  it  seem  to 
them  to  be  worth  Ihe  work  of  the  best  years  of  their 
lives  to  bring  about.  In  seeking  for  the  co-operation 
of  others  they  ask  no  more  than  they  have  already 
given  in  proportion  to  their  private  means.  They 
seek  no  contributions  in  the  name  of  charity.  They 
simply  ask  that  others  shall  join  in  the  work  of  pre- 
paring the  way  that  will  give  thousands  of  honest  and 
industrious  men  and  women  the  opportunity  to  help 
themselves.  They  believe  the  work  in  hand  is  grand 
enough  and  broad  enough  to  enlist  the  active  support 
of  every  one  who  loves  justice  and  his  fellow-man. 
They  see  thousands  of  weary  mothers  and  struggling 
fathers  who  make  them  wish  for  the  "  Queen  of  Sheba's" 
wealth  with  which  to  give  these  people  homes  and 
replace  their  worrisome  care  with  hope  of  something 
more  than  a  mere  existence.  They  have  progressed 
so  far  that  ultimate  success  is  now  assured,  but  not- 
withstanding this,  they  realize  that  much  more  rapid 
progress  might  be  made  if  their  efforts  were  re-enforced 
by  those  of  others  who  could  aid  them  if  so  inclined. 
Their  sole  aim  has  been  to  found  an  anti-monopoly 
colony  pure  and  simple.  This  is  the  whole  sum  and 
substance  of  their  desires,  and,  as  previously  stated,  no' 
new  scheme  is  to  be  tried,  no  new  religion  established. 
The  utmost  liberty  of  thought  and  action  is  guaranteed 
to  every  one.  The  private  affairs  of  the  individual 
members  will  not  in  any  way  be  interfered  with  or 
changed  from  existing  conditions  except  that  no  one 
can  obtain  an  unjust  advantage  of  others,  and  every 
one  be  able  to  secure  an  equal  chance  to  prosper  accord- 
ing to  their  industry  and  ability.     The  founders  of  this 


THE  CREDIT  FOXCIER  COMPANY.  17 

colony  court  the  closest  scrutiny  of  all  their  acts,  both 
past  and  present.  They  have  guarded  every  point  so 
that  speculation  has  been  made  impossible  in  all  matters 
relating  to  the  management,  and  so  that  not  a  dollar 
can  be  made  out  of  it  by  those  in  charge  of  its  affairs. 
They  desire,  and  will  accept  with  pleasure,  any  and  all 
suggestions  that  will  tend  to  permanently  establish  and 
secure  the  peace,  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  peo- 
ple in  this  colony. 

The  Natural  Resources. 

Unless  some  explanation  is  made,  the  first  impression 
of  the  reader  will  naturally  be  that  the  colonists  must 
enter  a  new  and  wild  country,  where  they  will  have  to 
battle  with  rugged  nature  for  supremacy.  But  happily 
this  is  far  from  being  true.  When  they  cross  the 
border  line  they  enter  the  old,  and  leave  behind  them 
the  new.  The  wild  beast  and  desolate  wilderness  are 
nowhere  to  be  met  with  on  the  colony  lands.  On  the 
contrary,  the  deep  green  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
bound  their  lands  on  the  side  toward  the  setting  sun, 
and  all  about  them  the  sloping  plain  that  reaches  to 
the  far  off  hills  of  the  Sierra  Madre  mountains,  is  dotted 
with  towns  and  cities  that  are  inhabited  by  a  generous 
and  even  wealthy  people,  who  welcome  them  with  a 
hospitality  that  knows  no  bounds.  That  the  quiet 
contentment  of  these  well-fed  and  well-housed  people 
contrasts  sharply  with  the  restless  activity  of  the  north- 
man's  life,  is  true;  but  the  contrast  also  shows  that,  if 
measured  by  results,  the  advantages  are  not  wholly  on 
one  side.  The  lack  of  transportation  has  made  it 
useless  for  them  to  produce  more  than  they  required 


i8  THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY. 

for  their  own  use;  of  this,  however,  they  have  abun- 
dance, and,  as  may  be  seen  in  those  districts  where  the 
"  Iron  Horse  "  has  entered,  their  industry  increases  fully 
as  fast  as  it  becomes  profitable  for  them  to  do  so.  To 
these  people  the  colonists  appear  as  brothers,  and  by 
them  and  their  government  they  have  been  welcomed 
as  forerunners  of  a  higher  progress  and  a  greater 
prosperty  than  they  have  ever  before  known.  The 
wealthy  and  educated  classes  show  them  every  con- 
sideration possible.  The  colonists,  therefore,  do  not 
enter  as  strangers  into  a  wilderness,  but  more  as  mem- 
bers of  an  old  community  in  which  much  of  the  hard 
and  trying  work  of  the  pioneer  has  already  been 
accomplished.  The  natural  resources  for  the  produc- 
tion of  wealth  are  unlimited.  All  the  building  material 
needed  is  ready  at  hand  in  inexhaustible  quantity.  With 
a  rich  soil  sixteen  feet  deep,  and  a  climate  neither  hot 
nor  cold,  it  is  not  surprising  that  all  kinds  of  vegetation 
should  grow  with  marvelous  rapidity.  Surrounded  by 
these  conditions,  and  with  every  natural  source  of 
wealth  simply  waiting  for  the  hand  of  man  to  turn  this 
into  a  veritable  paradise,  in  which  his  labor  will  be 
rewarded  a  thousand-fold,  and  all  that  is  best,  all  that 
is  noblest  in  his  nature  developed  to  its  full  fruition, 
can  we  doubt  that  good  results  will  be  att^Hned;  can 
we  question  the  advisability  of  making  these  things 
possible?  If  not,  then  let  each  one  do  his  share,  and 
it  will  be  speedily  accomplished. 

Now,  in  closing,  let  it  be  said  that  here  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  world,  so  far  as  known,  it  is 
found  that  industry  is  organized  upon  the  basis  of  natu- 
ral law;  or,  to  put  it  in  other  words,  the  shackles  that 


THE  CREDIT  FONCIER  COMPANY.  19 

iwinicrly  bound  and  crippled  industry  have  been  cast 
aside,  thus  leaving  it  free  to  produce  unlimited  wealth. 
Think  for  a  moment  what  this  statement  means.  Let 
your  imagination  grasp  the  far-reaching  results  that 
must  follow  if  this  broad  assertion  be  true.  Broad  as  it 
is,  however,  the  founders  of  this  colony  assert  that  in  its 
practical  application  the  plan  must  stand  this  test  or  be 
considered  as  a  total  failure.  They  hold  it  as  a  car- 
dinal principle  that  no  industrious  person,  either  man, 
woman,  or  child,  who  is  willing  to  work  must  ever  enter 
this  colony  and  find  that  there  is  no  work  for  them  to 
do.  Not  that  all  can  at  once  find  the  way  open  for 
them  to  enter  just  the  occupation  that  suits  them  best, 
but  that  all  persons  at  all  times  will  be  able  to  obtain 
such  employment  as  will  give  them  an  abundance  of 
the  necessities  of  life,  and  that  such  a  thing  as  scarcity 
of  work  will  be  unknown.  To  those  who  ask  "  What 
will  I  find  to  do?"  the  reply  is  "  you  know  best  what 
occupation  suits  you,  and  therefore,  with  the  assurance 
that  some  kind  of  work  will  be  ready  for  you  to  do  at 
anytime  you  come,  you  can  safely  go.  and  view  the 
different  openings  for  yourself  without  risk  to  those 
•who  are  dependent  upon  your  work." 

Having  thus  given  an  extended  statement  of  nearly 
every  important  detail  of  the  work  we  now  urgently 
solicit  your  co-operation  and  aid  in  proportion  to  your 
resources  and  abilities. 

Address  all  communications  and  make  all  remit- 
tances payable  to 

The  Credit  Foncier  Company, 

806  Royal  Insurance  Building, 

Chicago,  IP. 


The  followi-ig  pages,  from  "  A  Tramp  in  Society,"  by  Robert  H.  Cow- 
drey,  F.  J.  Sclurite  &  Co. ,  Publishers,  Chicago,  answer  so  many  questions 
thai  naturally  arise  in  this  connection,  that  we  have  ir.duced  uhe  publishers 
to  allow  us  to  insert  them  here. 

THE  OLD  DU  PAGE  FARM. 

The  old  Du  Page  farm,  with  its  many  hundred  acres 
of  land,  remained  intact,  as  a  relic  of  the  days  when 
all  the  country  round  about  it  was  a  beautiful  prairie 
studded  here  and  there  with  farm-houses,  and  the 
thriving  young  city  of  Chicago  was  yet  miles  away. 

The  hale  old  farmer  and  his  wife  had  left  the  land 
to  their  children  as  an  inheritance  that  gave  promise 
of  supporting  them  in  luxury  for  the  balance  of  their 
natural  lives,  without  work  or  a  thought  of  care ;  for 
the  great  city  had  grown  wondrously,  and  its  borders 
had  extended  until  now  it  was  pressing  close  upon 
the  boundary  line  of  the  farm.  The  broad  acres  were 
ripe  for  subdivision  into  city  lots. 

Mr.  Bartlett  had  a  scheme  that  called  for  just  such 
a  place  as  this  in  order  to  perfect  it,  and  when  the 
estate  was  settled  and  the  farm  was  offered  for  sale, 
he  readily  became  its  owner.  It  was  a  big  price  to 
pay,  and  he  felt  the  strain  on  his  resources;  but  he 
willingly  took  the  burden  on  his. shoulders,  for  the 
results  that  he  believed  he  could  accomplish  would  be 
worth  the  sacrifice. 

When  the  arrangements  had  been  completed  and  the 
transfer  made,  he  poured  many  thousands  of  dollars 
into  the  hands  of  the  heirs,  for  the  land  that  their 
father  had  bought,  only  a  few  years  before,  for  a  few 
dollars  an  acre.  And  when  the  deed  was  placed  on 
record,  there  were  added  to  it  the  significant  words: 

"This  land  shall  be  free  forever.  Occupancy  and 
use  shall  be  the  only  title." 

13a 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  1^^ 

It  was  not  long  after  the  news  had  gone  abroad  that 
land  could  be  freely  had  for  use  at  the  Du  Page  farm  be- 
fore men  were  on  the  ground  busily  engaged  in  digging 
up  the  earth,  forming  it  into  beds  and  setting  out  plants 
for  vegetable  gardens.    Then  farmers  came,  and,  looking 
over  the  level  meadows  stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  they  plowed  and  sowed  their  grain,  and  the 
old  farm  looked  prosperous  once   more.     The  workers 
V  .re  encouraged,  for  the  future  seemed  filled  with  hope. 
I  o  those   who  had  not    the  means    with  which    to 
build  them  homes,  Mr.  Bartlett  pointed    out    how  he 
had  built  his  store,  how  he  had  paid  for  it  out  of  his 
profits  as  the  payments  became  due.     It  was    easy  to 
find  men  who  would  trust   to   their    future    crops   for 
payment,  and  so  an  army  of  masons  and  house-build- 
ers were  soon  busy  at  work,  and   buildings    grew  and 
multiplied  with  amazing  quickness,  although    at    first 
the  people  were  compelled  to  house  a  number  of  fam- 
ilies in  a  single  building    till  time  would  permit  each 
one  to  have  his  own.     Then  came  the  merchants  with 
stocks  of  goods,  ready  to  supply  the  men  and  exchange 
with  the  gardeners  and  trust    the    farmers  until  their 
ops  were  out  of  the  ground.     Then  the  large  manu- 
iacturers  were    attracted    to    the    busy    town.     They 
-looked  with  longing  eyes  upon  the  land  that  was  free, 
and  as  soon  as  their  buildings  were    completed    their 
wheels  were  set  in  motion,  and  the  hum  of  these  busy 
hives  of  industry  was  added  to  the  rapidly  increasing 
prosperity  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Bartlett  was  never  happier  than  when  he  was 
among  these  busy  people,  and  every  new  improve- 
ment, every  happy  face  he  saw,  made  him  rejoice 
when  he  thought  that  their  world  was  brighter  and 
they  were  happier  because  he  had  lived. 


134  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

The  old  farm  had  been  transformed  by  the  rapid 
increase  in  population,  and  the  business  portion  was 
known  as  the  suburban  city  of  "Freeland."  The  rail- 
way accommodations  made  it  so  easy  to  go  and  come 
that  Mr.  Bartlett  found  no  trouble  in  inducing  Mr. 
Sears  to  go  with  him  to  see  the  wonderful  city. 

It  was  a  glorious  day  in  autumn  when  they  stepped 
from  the  cars  at  Freeland  Station.  The  farmers' 
crops  had  been  gathered,  and  the  industry  of  the  peo- 
ple had  been  so  richly  rewarded  that  they  were  not 
burdened  with  debt,  and  were  able  to  enjoy  the  luxu- 
ries the  other  producers  made,  thus  increasing  the 
prosperity  of  all. 

As  Mr.  Sears  stood  on  the  platform  with  Mr.  Bart- 
lett, watching  the  passengers  leave  the  train,  he  no- 
ticed several  who  were  evidently  new  arrivals,  for 
they  stood  looking  hesitatingly  about  them.  A  pleas- 
ant-faced man  stepped  toward  them  and  inquired  if 
they  were  looking  for  work,  and  after  a  moment's 
conversation  directed  them  to  the  "Bureau  of  Infor- 
mation."    Mr.  Bartlett  and  Mr.  Sears  followed  them. 

"We  may  as  well  begin  with  these  new  arrivals," 
said  Mr.  Bartlett,  "and  watch  how  they  succeed  in 
their  first  efforts  to  obtain  a  living." 

"There  seem  to  be  a  good  many^of  them,"  said  Mr. 
Sears  in  reply.  "You  must  find  some  trouble  in  get- 
ting work  for  all?  " 

"You  can  see  for  yourself,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett  com- 
placently. "Of  course  this  was  all  an  experiment, 
and  I  had  nothing  to  guide  me  in  forming  plans  for 
them  to  follow.  So  I  have  made  no  effort  to  check 
the  natural  course  of  events,  and  every  one  is  perfectly 
free  to  do  as  he  desires  so  long  as  he  does  not  in- 
fringe on  the  rights  of  any  other.     The    result    is  we 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  13r> 

find  that  man  is  naturally  good  and  inclined  to  be  a 
happy  animal  when  he  has  perfect  freedom." 

Mr.  Sears  looked  puzzled  for  a  momant,  and  then 
said:  "I  can't  see  how  you  get  along  that  way.  Cer- 
tainly there  must  be  some  who  are  careless,  or  ugly, 
or  mean  enough  to  trample  on  the  rights  of  others  if 
not  restrained  by  law." 

"You  must  keep  in  mind  that  the  conditions  and 
surroundings  of  the  people  here  are  vastly  different 
from  those  you  are  accustomed  to  deal  with.  Here 
no  one  feels  the  fear  of  want.  They  are  not  careworn 
or  over-worked,  and  you  must  admit  that  these  things 

nd  to  reduce  bad  temper  and  increase  the  desire  to 
deal  fairly.  Then,  too,  the  future  is  full  of  hope,  and 
life  is  worth  living.  They  see  that  in  order  to  be 
happy  it  is  not  necessary  to  rob  others  of  their  hap- 
piness, but  rather  that  it  is  necessary  for  those  about 
them  to  be  happy  in  order  that  they  may  enjoy  the 
highest  good.  To  these  people  it  is  evident  now  that 
*an  injury  to  one  is  the  concern  of  all.'  We  have 
had  cases  of  careless  intrusion,  but  none  that  could 
be  called  willful  trampling  on  the  rights  of  others." 

"How  do  you  account  for  it?"  inquired  Mr.  Sears, 
evidently  somewhat  mystified. 

"It  will  seem  natural  enough  if  you  but  think  a  mo- 
ment. If  you  invited  the  most  careless,  mean,  or 
ugly  man  you  know  of  to  your  home,  and  he  acted 
like  a  gentleman,  would  you  be  astonished?  Nol 
But  you  would  be  if  he  did  not.  Or  suppose  a  woman 
who  had  never  been  accustomed  to  refined  society  were 
placed  among  the  guests  at  your  table;  would  she 
willfully  do  an  act  that  would  offend  in  the  slightest 
degree?  No.  Her  whole  attention  would  be  absorbed 
in  trying  to  act  in  accord  with  the  law  that  she  knows 


180  A  TRAMP  m  SOCIETY. 

by  instinct  as  we.'l  as  the  most  cultured  do.  But 
change  the  conditions  that  surround  your  guests.  Let 
them  be  in  fear  of  want.  Let  them  realize  that  3'ou 
have  not  provided  enough  for  them  all,  and  you  will 
be  unable  to  discern  any  difference  in  the  actions  of 
any  of  them  as  they  struggle  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 
All  the  laws  you  could  make  would  not  restrain  your 
cultured  guests  from  grabbing  that  which  they  fear 
to  lose.  You  cannot  make  men  good  by  enacting  laws. 
You  cannot  prevent  crime  by  punishing  the  offender. 
You  cannot  keep  children  out  of  factories  by  making 
laws  that  punish  the  parents  whom  hunger  has  com- 
pelled to  make  their  children  self-supporting.  By  law 
you  cannot  force  the  housewife  to  be  neat  and  clean; 
but  the  unwritten  law  of  public  opinion  makes  it  a 
pleasure  for  her  to  excel  in  neatness.  Without  this 
public  opinion  to  enforce  your  laws,  they  are  useless. 
When  it  is  present,  law  is  not  required.  All  laws 
that  would  prevent,  by  force,  the  unseemly  scrambling 
of  your  guests  for  food,  would  seem  to  be  necessary 
just  so  long  only  as  you  do  not  change  the  conditions 
that  surround  them  and  take  away  the  cause  that 
produces  this  result.  But  it  would  seem  to  be  the 
better  plan  to  put  them  in  a  position  where  such  a  law 
was  not  required." 

"But  you  must  have  some  laws  for  the  guidance  of 
public  affairs,"  said  Mr.  Sears,  almost  bewildered  by 
the  statement  Mr.  Bartlett  had  made. 

"Oh,  certainly,  but  you  will  recognize  the  difference 
between  such  laws  as  are  intended  as  m^re  instruc- 
tions for  the  guidance  of  the  people  and  those  which 
are  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  them  to  deal  justly  with 
one  another,"  replied  Mr.  Bartlett  as  they  entered  the 
office  of  the  Bureau  of  Information. 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  13'i 

The  large  reception-room  was  filled  with  men,  some 
of  wliom  were  carefully  studying  cards  of  infor- 
mation that  were  placed  along  the  walls,  from 
which  many  of  them  obtained  the  knowledge  they 
desired;  and  with  a  question  cr  two  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  work,  or  the  location,  they  hurried  away.  As 
Mr.  Bartlett  and  Mr.  Sears  entered  they  heard  the 
agent  at  the  desk  inquire  of  the  man  before  him: 

"Have  you  a  trade?" 

"Yes,  I  am  a  metal-spinner." 

"There's  a  good  place  for  you  at  Daly's  Brass- 
works." 

And  with  the  written  address  in  hand,  the  man 
turned  toward  the  door,  while  the  agent  pleasantly 
inquired  of  the  next  one: 

"What  is  your  trade?'* 

"Cabinet  maker,   sir.** 

"They  want  a  good  man  at  the  organ  factory."  And, 
pointing  out  through  the  open  door-way,  he  directed 
the  man  to  the  building,  in  plain  sight,  and  turned  to 
the  next  one. 

"I  am  a  book  keeper,"  said  a  shabbily  dressed  man 
of  middle  age,  without  waiting  to  be  questioned. 

"Johnston,  Jones  &  Co.  want  an  A  No.  i  man,"said 
the  agent,  a  little  doubtfully,  as  if  questioning  his 
ability. 

"I  am  a  little  out  of  practice,"  was  the  significant 
reply. 

"There  are  other  places  where  it  might  be  easier 
for  you  at  first.      You  might  try  one  of  them." 

"I  want  something  to  keep  me  from  starving.  I 
will  do  anything  you  say,  sir,"  replied  the  man  hum- 
biy. 

"There.     They  want  a  bill  clerk,"  said  the  agent  as 


]m  j4  tramp  ISl  SOCIETY. 

he  handed  the  man  a  card.  "I  guess  that  will  be  a 
good  place  for  you  to  start." 

"I  am  a  dock  laborer,"  said  the  next  man. 

"We  have  no  vessels  to  unload  here,"  said  the  agent 
laughing.  "But  you  are  willing  to  work  at  anything, 
I  suppose?" 

"If  there's  a  living  in  it,  I  am,"  was  the  cautious 
reply. 

"No  trouble  about  that.  You  take  this  card  to  the 
big  saw-mill,  and  they  will  give  you  work  handling 
lumber.*' 

"I  am  a  laborer,"  said  the  next  applicant. 

"How  will  working  in  the  brick-yards  suit  you?" 

"What's  the  pay?" 

"More  than  you  ever  received,"  replied  the  agent, 
smiling  good-naturedly.  "You  try  it  for  a  while  and 
see.  Just  take  the  car  that  runs  west  and  tell  the 
conductor  to  let  you  off  at  Henley's  yard." 

"We  will  follow  this  one,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett.  "He 
begins  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  we  will  see 
what  success  he  has." 

"I  should  suppose  you  would  soon  fill  up  all  the 
places  at  this  rate,"  said  Mr.  Sears,  when  they  were 
seated  in  the  car. 

"There  has  always  been  more  work  than  workers," 
replied  Mr.  Bartlett.  "Each  new  arrival  increases  the 
demand  as  well  as  the  supply." 

"The  place  is  growing  very  rapidly  now,  and  of 
course  the  demand  is  extra  heavy,"  said  Mr.  Sears. 
"But  when  you  have  settled  down  to  your  level,  you 
will  find  that  the  supply  will  increase  faster  than  the 
demand." 

Mr.  Bartlett's  eyes  twinkled  good-naturedly,  as  they 
always  did  when  he  caught  his  questioner  off  his  guard. 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  ino 

"I  have  always  found  that  man's  desires  increased 
as  fast  as  his  ability  to  gratify  them,"  was  the  half- 
inquiring  answer. 

"I  think  there's  no  doubt  of  that,"  readily  assented 
Mr.  Sears. 

"Then  please  tell  me  how  the  supply  can  increase 
faster  than  the  demand?"  And  Mr.  Bartlett  looked 
quizzically  at  his  friend  while  awaiting  a  reply. 

"I  can't  answer  that,"  replied  Mr.  Sears,  after  a 
moment's  thought,  "except  by  saying  that  my  busi- 
ness experience  seems  to  justify  my  statement." 

"Your  business  experience  has  been  obtained  under 
conditions  that  did  not  allow  the  workers  to  gratify 
their  desires  as  fast  as  their  power  to  produce  was  in- 
creased, and  of  course  congestion  followed.  Here 
their  ability  to  gratify  their  desires  is  only  limited  by 
their  production." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  this  prosperity  is  to  con- 
tinue year  after  year  just  as  you  have  it  now?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Sears  incredulously. 

"Nothing  can  prevent  it  so  long  as  there  is  free 
land,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett,  positively.  "I  underesti- 
mate the  amount  when  I  say  that  the  average  pro- 
duction of  each  day's  work  is  sufficient  to  supply  the 
needs  of  thirty  days.  If  the  producer  receives  it  all, 
he  is  in  a  position  to  exchange  his  work  for  those  things 
which  others  have  produced,  and  thus  to  gratify  his 
desires  to  the  full  extent  of  his  production.  How 
stagnation  can  occur  under  these  conditions  I  cannot 
see.  But  if  any  portion  is  taken  from  him  for  which 
nothing  is  given  in  return,  then  I  can  see  how  great 
fortunes  can  be  built  up,  and  industry  grow  stagnant, 
from  the  congestion  that  must  follow  whenever  the 
producer's  ability  to  buy  is  less  than  his  production." 


1 40  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

"But  the  men  who  take  from  the  producers  must 
have  just  that  much  more  ability  to  bu3%"  interposed 
Mr.  Sears.  "And  this  would  make  up  for  the  loss  of 
their  trade,  would  it  not?" 

"If  they  were  to  buy  the  products  of  labor  it 
would,"  replied  Mr.  Bartlett.  "But  instead  of  doing 
this  they  take  so  large  a  share  that  they  cannot  con- 
sume the  product  it  represents,  and  so  they  take 
money  and  bonds  and  stocks,  and  store  them  away 
to  draw  on  the  products  of  labor  as  they  desire 
while  the  wealth  produced  by  the  workers  is  left  in 
the  hands  of  business  men  to  dispose  of  as  best  they 
can." 

"How  can  free  land  change  these  conditions?" 

"You  saw  how  Crusoe  could  take  all  that  the  fishers 
produced  by  making  them  pay  a  tribute  for  the  use 
of  the  land,  and  then  how  every  one  of  them  received 
all  he  produced'  as  soon  as  they  stopped  paying  trib- 
ute? In  the  same  way,  if  the  land  is  free,  our  work- 
ers will  be  able  to  keep  what  they  produce,  and  a  more 
equal  distribution  of  wealth  will  result.  There  will 
not  be  equality  of  wealth,  for  that  would  mean  that 
some  were  getting  more  than  they  produced,  which 
would  be  robbery.  But  the  difference  in  conditions 
would  be  due  to  difference  in  ability,  and  there  would 
be  neither  the  extremely  rich  nor  the  very  poor." 

"Do  you  own  the  street-car  line?"  inquired  Mr.  Sears 
as  he  noticed  the  conductor  collecting  fares. 

"No,  sir.  We  don't  allow  monopolies  like  that  to 
exist  here.  The  people  la)'  the  tracks  and  keep  them 
in  repair  at  public  expense,  and  then  lease  them  to 
the  company  that  will  do  the  work  for  the  least  fare. 
In  other  words,  we  always  discourage  monopolies  and 
extend  private  enterprise  into  every  branch  of  business 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  141 

that  is  controlled  by  competition.  The  keeping  of 
highways  in  repair  we  recognize  as  one  of  the  chief 
functions  of  government." 

"Why  do  you  call  the  street-car  business  a  mon- 
opoly any  more  than  the  ice  business." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett,  laughing  at  the  com- 
parison, "the  ice  wagons  can  go  on  any  street;  and 
if  one  company  charges  more  than  it  is  entitled  to 
for  the  service  rendered,  other  ice  wagons  can  go 
on  that  street,  and  compete  with  them  for  the  trade, 
and  thus  bring  prices  down  to  a  fair  amount.  But 
when  a  street-car  company  has  its  tracks  in  the  street 
it  shuts  out  competition,  and  can  charge  more  than 
the  fair  proportion  of  profit  for  the  work  it  per- 
forms." 

"How  do  you  pay  for  laying  the  track?"  inquired 
Mr.  Sears. 

"All  public  improvements  are  paid  for  by  the  people 
in  proportion  to  the  benefit  they  receive,"  said  Mr. 
Bartlett.  "The  users  of  land  that  is  supplied  with 
water  or  gas,  or  that  has  sewers  or  paved  streets  or 
any  other  public  improvement,  pay  for  these  just  in 
proportion  to  the  benefit  conferred,  and  in  this  way 
all  the  expenses  of  government  are  paid." 

"How  do  you  find  the  relative  proportions  that 
each  should  pay?" 

"You  can  see  that  land  which  is  located  so  as  to 
give  the  user  all  these  advantages  would  be  more  de- 
sirable than  other  land  which  gave  only  a  part  or  none 
of  them,  and  that  these  various  improvement  values 
would  correctly  determine  the  relative  proportions 
each  of  the  users  should  pay.  This  public  improve- 
ment value  which  attaches  to  the  land  is,  therefore, 
the    basis    upon    which    we    estimate  the  amount  of 


143  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY, 

benefit  the  user  receives,  and  from  this  we  easily 
arrive  at  the  proportion  he  should  pay  for  the  use  of 
these  public  improvements." 

"I  see  how  it  works,"  said  Mr.  Sears  quickly. 
"The  increased  value  is  there,  and  whoever  uses  the 
land  gets  the  benefit  of  it  and  therefore  must  pay  the 
cost  of  the.  improvements. " 

"Yes,  that's  it,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett.  "Well,  here  we 
are  at  Henley's."  As  the  car  stopped  and  the  three  men 
started  toward  the  brick-yard  Mr.  Bartlett  turned  to 
the  laborer  and  inquired  what  it  was  that  had  induced 
him  to  come  to  Freeland. 

"Well,  I  heard  that  a  man  had  a  better  chance  to 
get  along  here,  an'  so  I  thought  I'd  try  it." 

"What  wages  will  you  expect  to  receive?"  inquired 
Mr.  Sears,  somewhat  interestedly. 

"Well,  I  figger  it  about  like  this:  Pll  take  the  first 
thing  I  can  get  to  do  that  will  keep  me  a-goin'  till  I 
can  look  around  a  bit  and  see  whether  I  can  do  better. 
If  I  can't,  then  I  know  I'm  getting  what's  due  me 
where  I  am.  Then,  too,"  he  added,  "if  there's  lots  of 
work,  I've  no  fear  but  the  wages  will  be  good." 

"The  Henley  boys  came  here  as  workers  just  like 
this  man,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett. 

The  laborer  stepped  forward  to  the  foreman,  who, 
after  a  moment's  conversation,  and  as  the  laborer 
started  to  pull  off  his  coat,  said: 

"Never  fear  about  the  wages.  You  will  get  several 
days'  living  out  of  each  day's  work,  easy  enough." 

"That  is  the  only  true  way  to  measure  wages,  after 
all,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett  as  he  overheard  the  remark. 
"Wages  may  seem  to  be  high  in  dollars  and  cents, 
but  if  other  things  are  equally  high  the  workers  gel 
no  benefit." 


A  TRAMP  m  SOCIETY.  143 

The  laborer  was  soon  at  work  tossing  thft  new  brick 
into  the  wagons,  and  the  visitors  turned  away  to  find 
one  of  the  Henley  boys. 

"If  1  had  a  few  sheep  I  might  come  here  and  use  all 
of  your  vacant  laud  to  feed  them  on,"  said  Mr.  Sears, 
inquiringly. 

"Certainly." 

"Then  the  next  man  that  came  would  have  no  land  to 
use  until  he  agreed  to  pay  me  tribute.      Isn*  t  that  true?" 

"Oh,  no!  You  would  be  welcome  to  use,  or  pre- 
tend to  use,  any  or  all  of  this  vacant  land  in  any  way 
you  desire  until  some  of  it  was  needed  for  a  higher  use. 
When  that  time  came  we  would  exercise  the  right 
of  eminent  domain,  and  pay  you  for  any  of  your  im- 
provements that  were  taken  or  de'stroyed." 

"That  being  true,  you  must  admit  that  no  one  here 
has  absolute  possession  of  his  land,"  said  Mr.  Sears, 
knowingly.* 

"Let's  see.  You  claim  to  have  exclusive  owner- 
ship and  absolute  possession  of  the  land  upon  which 
your  house  is  built.  Yet  a  private  corporation  may  at 
any  time  tear  down  your  house  and  run  its  tracks 
over  the  land  where  it  now  stands.  Here  only  the  peo- 
ple can  exercise  this  right  which  you  have  granted  to 
private  individuals,  and  if  it  be  true  that  you  have 
absolute  possession  of  your  land,  it  must  be  equally  so 
of  ours." 

"But  suppose  that  population  increases  until  there 
is  only  standing-room  for  the  people.     What  then?" 

"Oh,  I  think  we  would  have  to  build  higher  houses 
and  have  our  farms  on  the  roofs,"  replied  Mr.  Bart- 
lett,  laughing  at  the  suggestion.  "But  to  answer  your 
question  seriously:      If  Nature  ever  does  fail  to  pro- 

•  Sm  "DriTwfrom  Sm  to  Sea." 


144  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

vide  enough  for  aM  the  people  on  this  earth,  it  will  be 
a  sad  day  for  humanity,  but  even  then  we  would  have 
the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  we  were  dealing  justly 
by  each  other  and  that  each  one  had  an  equal  oppor- 
tunity to  get  a  share." 


THE  CITY  OF  FREELAND. 

"If  wages  are  high  in  all  the  industries  here,"  re- 
sumed Mr.  Sears  as  they  walked  slowly  along,  "then, 
according  to  your  own  statement,  clothing,  and  food, 
and  houses  must  also  be  high;  and  the  workers  out 
here  will  gain  nothing.     So  where  is  the  advantage?" 

"We  are  as  yet  a  comparatively  small  city,"  replied 
Mr.  Bartlett;  "but  we  produce  about  twelve  millions 
of  wealth  a  year.  All  of  that  goes  to  the  men  who 
produce  it.  We  do  not  pay  out  a  cent  for  the  use  of 
the  land." 

"Do  you  mean  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  as 
well  as  the  laborers?"  inquired  Mr.  Sears. 

"Certainly;  they  are  producers  just  the  same  as  the 
others,"  replied  Mr.  Bartlett  quickly.  With  you  the 
man  who  hires  a  farm  gives  from  a  third  to  one-half 
of  his  production  for  the  use  of  the  land;  the  men 
in  cities  give  about  the  same  proportion  of  their 
wages  or  profits  for  the  land  they  use.  So  that  it 
seems  fair  to  assume  that  the  industrious  classes  are 
forced  to  give  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  all  they 
produce  to  the  owners  of  the  land,  as  tribute  for  its 
use.     Here  the  producer  pays  nothing." 

"Therefore  the  workers  get  all  they  produce,"  inter- 
posed Mr.  Sears.  "That  is  very  plain,  but  it  seems 
rather  strange." 

"There  is  nothing  so  strange  about  it,"  replied  Mr. 
Bartlett,  evidently  well  pleased  at  the  readiness  with 
which    his  friend  caught  the    idea.      "It     is    easy    to 

1 45 


14G  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

figure  it.  Take  any  town  of  this  size,  with  the  same 
volume  of  trade  and  you  can  see  that  the  rent  of  the 
business  and  residence  property  would  nearly  equal 
the  figure  I  have  named.  And  the  rent  of  such  farms  as 
these  about  here  would  certainly  make  up  the  balance. " 

"Yes,  I  think  that  is  true  enough,"  replied  Mr. 
Sears  frankly.  **So  you  think  these  people  are  bene- 
fited to  the  extent  oi  a  third  to  one-half  of  their 
total  production,  do  you?" 

"Yes,  and  much  more.  How  much  I  am  unable  to  say. 
For,  if  that  amount  was  taken  from  them,  they  would 
not  only  be  that  much  poorer,  but  their  purchasing 
power  would  be  lessened  just  in  porportion,  and  there- 
fore their  production  would  have  to  be  reduced  to  pre- 
vent congestion  of  the  products  of  their  labor.  Then 
work  would  become  scarce,  some  of  them  would  be  idle, 
and  a  struggle  for  the  chance  to  work  would  result. 
Business  would  stagnate,  factories  would  close 
their  doors,  and  wages  in  all  occupations  would  fall 
to  the  lowest  level.  Thus  a  thousand  bad  results 
would  follow  the  loss  of  their  earnings,  in  comparison 
to  which  the  tribute  taken  would  be  quite  insignifi- 
cant. To  realize  the  difference  you  have  but  to  look 
at  the  happy  workers  you  see  about  you  here,  and  com- 
pare them  with  your  care-worn,  hunger-haunted  human 
machines,  whose  only  hope  in  life  is  that  they  may 
get  work  so  that  they  may  get  bread  to  give  them 
strength  to  continue  at  work  until  death  ends  their 
misery."  And  Mr.  Bartlett  emphasized  his  remarks 
by  motioning  toward  the  crowds  of  men  who  were 
working  all  about  them. 

"They  remind  me  of  the  stories  I  have  read  of  the 
happy  nature  of  the  black  slaves,  who  laughed  and  sang 
their  negro  melodies,  regardless  of  their  bondage. " 


A  TRAMP  W  SOCIETY.  147 

"Yes,"  interposed  Mr.  Bartlett  almost  bitterly. 
"But  your  industrial  slavery  has  accomplished  what 
chattel  slavery  never  could.  It  has  crushed  hope, 
even  in  the  black  man.  He  no  longer  has  the  heart 
to  sing.     The  struggle  for  existence  is  too  intense." 

"Ah!  Mr.  Bartlett,  pleased  to  see  you." 

"This  is  my  friend  Mr.  Sears,  Mr.  Henley.  It  was 
he  who  helped  me  when  I  was  a  tramp,"  added  Mr. 
Bartlett  by  way  of  explanation. 

"You  helped  one  of  the  noblest  men  God  ever  put  on 
earth,"  said  John  Henley,  fervently,  as  he  grasped 
Mr.  Sears'  hand.  "To  him  I  owe  my  chance  to  get 
ahead,  and  the  happiness  of  my  wife  and  two  little 
ones." 

"He  seems  to  be  doing  a  noble  work  here,"  replied 
Mr.  Sears,  quietly. 

"Well,  I  get  my  pay  a  thousand  times  over,  in 
seeing  men  like  John  so  prosperous  and  contented," 
laughed  Mr.  Bartlett.  "I  want  to  have  Mr.  Sears  get 
acquainted  with  the  conditions  that  exist  out  here,'* 
he  continued  as  he  turned  toward  Mr.  Henley.  "And 
I  wonder  if  you  would  object  to  telling  him  your  ex- 
perience." 

"Not  at  all,"  was  the  prompt  reply.  "I  never 
seemed  to  get  along  before  I  came  here.  I  lived 
poorly  and  worked  hard,  but  I  only  got  enough  to 
keep  me  going,  and  I  nqver  had  any  hope  of  getting 
ahead  until  I  came  and  saw  how  well  others  were  do- 
ing. I  was  a  common  every-day  laborer,  and  the  first 
thing  I  did  was  to  load  brick  at  Lasher's  yard,  just 
beyond  us  here.  I  got  good  pay,  and  soon  had 
enough  saved  to  get  a  home  for  us,  and  by  the  time 
that  was  paid  for  I  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  how 
bricks  were  made.    And  as  the  demand  was  more  than 


148  A  TRAMP  W  SOCIETY. 

the  yards  could  supply,  I  looked  around  for  a  place 
of  my  own.  Mr.  Lasher  said  there  would  be  more 
brick  needed  than  could  be  made  if  the  yards  were 
not  increased,  and  he  helped  me  pick  out  a  good  piece 
of  clay  land,  and  here  I  am.  My  brother  and  I  made 
our  first  payment  on  the  machinery  out  of  our  earn- 
ings, and  soon  we  will  be  out  of  debt  and  get  on  all 
right." 

"Why  could  you  not  have  done  that  anywhere,  if 
you  had  a  little  start  to  begin  with?"  inquired  Mr. 
Sears. 

"Well,  that  little  start  was  what  bothered  me," 
laughed  John,  shaking  his  head  as  if  unable  to  ex- 
plain why,  but  conscious  of  the  fact,  just  the  same. 
"Then,  too,"  he  continued,  "we  could  not  get  land 
without  paying  heavily  for  it,  and  that  prevented  us 
from  starting.  More  than  this,  the  supply  of  brick  in 
every  other  place  except  this  is  away  beyond  the  de- 
mand, and  we  could  not  get  into  the  trade  as  we  did 
here,  where  the  builders  were  waiting  for  them." 

"Do  your  men  get  as  good  wages  as  Mr.  Lasher 
paid  you?"  inquired  Mr.  Sears. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"How  can  that  be,  if  Mr.  Lasher  was  paying  you  all 
you  were  worth  ?  "  And  Mr.  Sears  glanced  toward  Mr. 
Bartlett,  for  he  remembered  that  gentleman's  state- 
ment of  how  all  men  received  their  full  production. 
"After  his  men  have  received  their  pay,"  interposed 
Mr.  Bartlett,  "if  John  has  produced  anything  it  will 
be  there  to  pay  him,  won't  it?" 

"Yes,  yes;  but  I  thought  I  had  found  a  flaw  in  your 
reasoning,"  laughed  Mr.  Sears.  "But  I  don't  see  how 
you  know  just  what  each  one's  share  is.  Here  are  a 
hundred  men,  we  will  say.    Some  are  doing  one  thing, 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  1  10 

buiiic  aiiuLlicr.  It  is  but  fair  to  suppose  there  are  as 
many  different  grades  of  ability  as  there  are  men. 
Yet  the  product  of  their  united  labor  is  so  many 
thousand  brick.  How  in  he  world  are  you  able  to 
fmd  out  just  the  portion  each  man  has  produced?" 

"I  guess  you  will  have  to  answer  that,  Mr.  Bartlett," 
said  John,  as  he  looked  up  at  him  with  a  confused  ex- 
pression on  his  face. 

"I  will  put  the  question  in  another  way,  and  then 
you  will  be  able  to  answer  it  easily,"  said  Mr.  Bart- 
lett. "What  would  you  do  if  your  men  did  not  earn 
their  pay?" 

"I'd  have  to  send  them  off,"  said  John,  utterly  un- 
able to  understand  the  relation  between  the  two 
questions. 

"And  what  would  they  do  if  you  did  not  pay  them 
enough?" 

"They'd  go  elsewhere." 

"And  if  all  the  yards  combined  against  them  and 
refused  to  pay  all  they  earned,  what  then?" 

"I  don't  know  what  others  would  do,"  said  John 
quickly.  "But  if  Lasher  had  tried  that  with  me,  I 
would  have  started  a  yard  of  my  own." 

"There  you  have  it,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett  exultingly. 
"John  could  not  fathom  the  why  and  wherefore,  but 
he  well  knew  how  to  get  at  the  practical  solution  of 
it.  There  is  the  whole  of  the  plan  of  competition  in 
his  reply.  If  the  workers  get  too  little,  they  are  free 
to  make  brick  for  themselves.  If  they  ask  too  much, 
the  Henley  Brothers  don't  have  to  pay  it.  And  the 
natural  adjustment  wh'ich  these  interests  bring  about 
settles  positively  the  just  proportion  each  one  should 
receive." 

"And  is  the  saving  in  rent  divided  in  the  same  way?" 


150  A  TRAMP  m  SOCIETY. 

inquired  Mr.  Sears  as  they  turned  toward  the  cars 
again. 

"Certainly.  If  it  were  not,  there  would  be  so  much 
profit  in  the  brick  business  that  the  workers  would 
all  start'yards  of  their  own." 

"Then  it  is  the  opportunity  to  freely  use  the  land  to 
employ  their  own  labor  that  gives  these  men  the  fuU 
production  of  their  toil  when  they  work  for  others, 
is  it?" 

"That's  the  effect  free  land  produces  when  competi- 
tion is  not  bound  and  held  in  check  as  it  is  with 
you,"  replied  Mr.  Bartlett  earnestly. 

"I  can  see  how  it  works  where  men  have  a  chance 
to  go  into  business  for  themselves  like  the  Henleys 
in  brick-making,  or  in  farming,  or  in  mining  of  any 
kind,"  said  Mr.  Sears  meditatively.  "But  put  my  fac- 
tory out  here,  and  how  could  my  employes  help  them- 
selves if  I  refused  to  give  them  their  share?" 

Mr.  Bartlett  smiled  as  he  replied:  "I  can  tell  just 
what  is  passing  through  your  mind,  Sears.  You  im- 
agine this  to  be  some  new  scheme  that  is  governed  by 
laws  entirely  different  from  those  under  which  you 
transact  your  business.  But  this  is  not  the  case  at 
all.  The  only  change  is  that  we  do  not  divide  the 
product  of  our  labor  to  give  the  land-owner  a  part. 
Our  business  laws  are,  therefore,  the  same  as  yours, 
and  you  well  know  that  if  you  refused  to  pay  your  men 
the  regular  market  rate  of  wages  they  would  go  else- 
where; and  so  they  would  here.  More  than  this,  your 
men  would  leave  you  under  present  conditions,  and 
also  in  a  city  where  work  is  scarce  and  very  hard  to 
get,  while  here  they  would  be  able  to  step  into  other 
places  at  a  moment's  notice.  You  pay  your  men  their 
present  wages  because  you  are  forced  to  do  so  by  the 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  151 

law  of  competition,  which  decrees  that  to  be  their 
just  share  of  what  is  left  after  the  land-owner  has 
been  paid.  Here  you  would  be  forced  to  pay  more 
because  the  amount  to  be  divided  is  greater.  And,  as 
your  own  wages  are  paid  on  the  same  basis,  they 
would  also  be  much  larger  than  now." 

"In  other  words,  you  mean  that  what  the  land- 
owner fails  to  get  is  divided  justly  between  the  em- 
ployer and  his  men." 

"Yes,  so  long  as  competition  is  free." 

Mr.  Sears  was  thoughtfully  silent  for  a  moment,  and 
then,  looking  up  at  his  friend,  he  said  inquiringly: 

"If  what  you  say  is  true,  then  I  as  an  employer  can- 
not pay  more  than  the  regular  market  rate  of  wages?" 

"Not  without  drawing  upon  your  own  share." 

"But  I  mean  more  than  that,"  said  Mr.  Sears 
earnestly.  "Could  my  business  stand  the  pressure  of 
paying  my  men  their  full  share?" 

"No,  sir.     You  would  be  foolish  to  try  it." 

"But  I  have,"  was  the  almost  despairing  reply. 

The  changed  voice  and    manner  of  his  friend  start- 

1  Mr.  Bartlett,  and  after  a  hasty,  searching  glance 
lie  inquired  as  to  the  cause. 

"Well,  you  remember  what  I  said  at  the  'Charity 
Ball,'  don't  you?"  said  Mr.  Sears  as  he  struggled 
bravely  to  brace  himself  for  the  ordeal  of  relating  his 
business  troubles. 

"About  your  determination  to  pay  your  employes 
more?     Yes,  I  remember." 

"Well,  I  acted  contrary  to  your  advice,"  continued 
Mr.  Sears.  "To  tell  the  truth,  I  could  no  longer 
stand  the  torture  of  seeing  those  starving  women  and 
ill-paid  men  working  for  me  on  such  soul-destroying 
terms.     So  I  began  paying  them  more  and  more,  until 


153  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

my  partner,  Plumb,  declared  he  would  not  risk  it  any 
further,  and  offered  to  either  sell  or  buy.  I  knew  the 
wages  would  go  back  to  the  old  figure  if  I  sold,  and 
so  I  bought  his  share.  This  put  me  in  debt,  and  the 
higher  wages  I  was  paying  made  it  cost  more  to  make 
my  goods  than  my  competitors  paid,  so  that  I  soon 
found  that  I  was  at  a  terrible  disadvantage  in  selling. 
My  financial  affairs  are  in  bad  shape,  and,  with  m}^ 
desire  to  help  those  I  employ  while  watching  my  own 
iiiterests,  I  find  myself  between  the  devil  and  the 
deep  sea." 

"It's  a  bad  piece  of  business,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett, 
evidently  worried  at  the  position  of  his  friend.  "Your 
sympathies  have  run  away  with  your  business  judg- 
ment.    That's  evident." 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Sears.  "And  when  I  look  back 
and  see  how  little  I  have  accomplished,  and  how  much 
you  have  been  able  to  do  here,  I  have  not  even  the  sat- 
isfaction of  feeling  that  I  have  done  much  good." 

"That's  the  difference  in  results  between  granting 
charity  and  giving  justice  a  chance  to  do  its  perfect 
work.  But  I  do  wish  you  had  taken  my  advice.  I  do 
indeed,  for  I  am  heavily  in  debt  at  the  present  time, 
and  trying  to  clear  off  the  mortgage  I  put  on  my  store 
when  I  bought  this  land.  But  what  I  have  is  at  your 
service.  Don't  forget  that."  And  Mr.  Bartlett  im- 
pressively placed  his  hand  on  the  arm  of  his  friend  as 
they  rose  to  leave  the  car. 

"Oh,  I'll  pull  through  all  right,"  was  the  seemingly 
confident  reply.  But  the  troubled  sigh  that  followed 
was  a  much  better  indication  of  the  burden  he  was 
carrying. 

"Can't  we  go  through  some  of  these  factories?' 
asked    Mr.  Sears  as  they  reached  the  walk. 


/I  TR/tMP  IN  SOCIETY.  153 

"That's  just  what  I  intend  we  shall  do,"  replied  Mr. 
Hartlett.  "1  want  you  to  see  for  yourself  how  slight 
a  change  is  necessary  to  better  the  condition  of  the 
workers.  Our  shops  are  better,  and  more  comfortable 
in  many  ways.  The  workers  hers  are  men,  for  we  have 
no  women  or  children  at  hard  labor  of  any  kind  in  this 
place.  Their  natural  pr6tectors  are  able  to  support 
them,  and  would  feel  disgraced  if  they  had  to  ask  their 
children  to  assist  them  in  earning  a  living. 

"This  is  my  friend  Mr.  Sears,"  he  continued,  as  they 
entered  the  iron-works  and  met  the  manager.  "He 
is  testing  our  methods  here,  and  wants  all  the  infor- 
mation he  can  get." 

"Mr.  Bartlett  puts  it  a  little  broadly,"  replied  Mr. 
Sears.     **Yet  in  the  main  he  has  stated  what  is  true." 

"I  dare  say  you  find  the  same  trouble  in  understand- 
ing our  ways  that  most  of  our  visitors  do,"  said  Mr. 
James,  the  gentleman  addressed;  "that  is,  how  the 
employer  and  his  men  can  both  be  benefited  at  the 
same  time  by  the  change.  It  is  remarkable  how  ready 
most  of  them  are  to  believe  that  either  one  might  be, 
but  that  both  can  be  at  the  same  time  seems  to  be  a 
puzzle  they  cannot  understand.  I  suppose  they  have 
been  drilled  so  long  to  believe  the  interests  of  the 
employer  are  antagonistic  to  those  of  the  workers  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  for  them  to  understand  that  they 
are  one  and  the  same.     Isn't  that  true,  Mr.  Bartlett?" 

"Yes,  and  I  think  Mr.  Sears  has  experienced  the 
same  feeling  since  he  has  been  here." 

"If  there  are  no  antagonistic  interests  between  the 
employer  and  the  men  he  employs,  what  makes  the 
appearance  of  it?"    inquired  Mr.  Sears. 

"Even  the  appearances  are  not  all  that  way,"  re- 
plied Mr.    James.     "For  when  you  find  a  general  in- 


154  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

crease  in  the  profits  of  business  men  and  manufact- 
urers you  also  find  an  increase  in  the  wages  of  their 
clerks  or  workmen.  When  you  find  them  struggling  to 
keep  out  of  bankruptcy  you  find  wages  and  salaries 
are  also  low.  This  life-and-death  struggle  that  af- 
flicts the  employers  as  well  as  the  men  makes  the  same 
appearance  of  antagonism  between  them  that  is  to  be 
seen  when  drowning  men  struggle  for  the  posses- 
sion of  life  preservers  because  there  are  not  enough  for 
all.  But  there  is  enough  produced,  and  therefore 
scarcity  is  not  the  cause.  On  the  contrary,  this  appear- 
ance of  antagonism  is  due  to  the  fact  that  so  large  a 
portion  is  taken  as  tribute  for  the  use  of  the  land  that 
the  employer  and  his  men  are  forced  to  fight  for  pos- 
session of  the  scant  supply  that  remains. 

"There  are  more  than  enough  opportunities  for  all 
to  support  life,  but  the  land-speculators  hold  them  out 
of  use  until  the  drowning  merchants  and  workers  are 
forced  by  their  necessities  to  agree  to  give  everything 
they  obtain  above  a  living.  The  moment  these  oppor- 
tunities are  opened  so  that  men  may  freely  use  them, 
we  find  not  even  the  appearance  of  antagonism  remains. 
Here  we  do  not  allow  any  one  to  hold  land  except  for 
use;  and,  as  a  result,  we  have  no  strikes,  no  riots,  no 
bloodshed,  and  all  are  prosperous  and  free  from  care. 
We  never  think  of  asking  men  to  work  for  us  for  less 
tlian  they  can  earn  by  working  for  themselves,  and  we 
do  not  have  to  pay  them  more,  because  they  willingly 
accept  that  amount.  And  as  the  opportunity  to  employ 
himself  costs  the  worker  nothing  at  all,  he  is  sure  to 
get  all  he  produces." 

"Then  you  have  solved  the  labor  question,"  said  Mr. 
Sears  inquiringl}^ 

"Judging  from  results,  we  certainly  have." 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  155 

"But  there  are  workers  who  have  never  employed 
themselves.  How  do  they  know  what  they  could 
earn?"   inquired  Mr.  Sears. 

"You  have  never  gone  to  Washington  to  accept  the 
government's  offer  to  redeem  its  paper  money  at  its 
full    face  value,"  replied   Mr.    James  earnestly.    "Yet 

11  obtain  the  full  benefit    of  that  offer  here,   simply 

cause  the  opportunity  is  open  to  you.  In  the  same 
way,  whenever  free  land  offers  men  all  they  produce, 
tliey  can  obtain  the  full  benefit  of  that  offer  in  any 
place  they  choose  to  work.  And,  like  your  paper 
money,  the  practical  effect  is  sure  to  be  that  nothing 
less  than  full  face  value  will  ever  be  offered.  Thus 
free  land  makes  free  men,  even  though  they  do  not  go 
to  the  land  to  accept  its  offer." 

"I  see,"  interposed  Mr.  Sears.  "The  amount  the 
land  will  pay  is  the  basis  of  all  wages,  and  the  pay  of 
each  depends  upon  the  relative  value  of  his  work." 

"That's  it  exactly,"  said  Mr.  James.  "Now  you  can 
see  the  benefit  when  that  offer  is  not  reduced  by  hav- 

i;  to  pay  tribute  for  the  use  of  the  land.  My  men 
will  tell  you  that  they  get  all  they  produce,  and  that 
is  all  they  could  get  by  working  for  themselves." 

"If  that  is  true,  where  do  you  get  your  profit?"  in- 
(luired   Mr.     Sears. 

"My  wages  arise  from  my  production,  and  if  I  add 
nothing  to  the  value  of  the  goods  you  may  rest  assured 
the  consumer  will  refuse  to  pay  me  for  my  work.  In- 
stead of  my  men  trying  to  sell  the  goods  they  make, 
I  do  that  work  for  them,  and  we  all  produce  just  the 
same  as  if  each  one  made  and  sold  his  own  product. 
The  feeling  against  the  middle-man  is  largely  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  price  he  receives  for  the  goods  is 
often  many  times  more  than  the  workers  get  for  mak- 


15C  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

ing  them.  The  tribute  the  land-owners  receive  is  all 
concentrated  in  that  price,  and  makes  it  seem  quite 
large;  but  if  it  was  not  figured  in,  it  would  be  seen 
that  there  is  but  little  left  for  the  merchant's  wages. 
In  this  place  we  pay  no  tribute,  and  the  problem  of 
giving  each  one  his  just  share  is  much  simplified.  We 
find  that  competition  does  this  most  justly,  and  so 
our  relations  to  each  other  are  perfectly  harmonious 
and  entirely  satisfactory  to  all  concerned." 

"With  such  high  wages  to  your  men/'  said  Mr. 
Sears,  "I  don't  see  how  you  can  sell  your  goods  to 
the  outside  world.  I  suppose  you  depend  on  the 
home  market  for  your  sales." 

"We  sell  our  goods  all  over  the  world,"  replied 
Mr  James  proudly.  "We  could  bankrupt  every  out- 
side competitor  if  we  tried." 

"What?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sears,  in  astonishment,  as 
he  turned  toward  Mr.  Bartlett,  to  see  if  he  sanctioned 
such  statements. 

"Well,  that's  hardly  a  fair  proposition,"  said  Mr. 
Bartlett  good-naturedly.  "You  would  be  able  to  do 
that  only  so  long  as  the  manufacturers  in  other  places 
had  not  the  same  advantages  that  you  have." 

"Advantages!"  And  Mr.  Sears  looked  more  puzzled 
than  before.  "What  advantages  can  there  be  in  pay- 
ing high  wages?  Don't  you  see  that  it  must  increase 
the  cost  of  production?" 

"We  find  it  costs  less,"  replied  Mr.  James. 

"Mr.  James'  competitors,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett,  "have 
to  pay  the  land-owners  their  tribute  in  addition  to  paying 
wages  to  their  men.  Mr.  James  pays  higher  wages,  it's 
true,  but  he  pays  no  tribute  for  the  use  of  the.  land. 
I  think  you  will  admit  that  this  saving  in  cost  gives 
him  an  advantage  which  makes  him  more  than  able  to 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  157 

compete  with  those  who  pay  only  starvation  wages  to 
their  men. " 

"Then  the  land-owner  is  a  sort  of  useless  partner 
who  draws  his  profits  without  producing  anything," 
said  Mr.  Sears,  laughingly.  "It  looks  like  the  cost  of 
production  depends  upon  the  profits  this  silent  part- 
ner takes,  more  than  it  does  on  the  wages  of  the  men." 

"We  have  dissolved  the  partnership  out  here,"  said 
Mr.  James. 

"Do    you  feel  that  your  title  to   the   land   is  suffi- 

iently  secure  for  your  improvements?"  inquired  Mr. 

Sears.      "Suppose  you  go  out  of  business,  and  fail  to 

use  the    land.     Can't  some    one    else  take  it  and  the 

improvements  together?" 

"Yes,  after  paying  for  them,  but  not  before.  You  see, 
Mr.  Sears,  we  act  on  the  principle  that  what  a  mac 
has  produced  is  his  against  all  the  world,  and  under 
no  condition  has  one  person  the  right  to  take  the 
product  of  another's  toil  without  giving  an  equivalent." 

"There  can  be  no  question  about  that  being  right," 
said  Mr.  Sears  as  they  turned  to  leave  the  building. 

"Well,  you  noticed  nothing  very  strange,  did  you?" 
inquired  Mr.  Bartlett,  when  they  had  gained  the  street. 
"It  is  as  plain  and  simple  as  every-day  life,  is  it  not? 
Everything  swings  along  with  absolute  precision  be- 
cause it  conforms  to  natural  and  not  to  man-made  law. 
Tne  *onl3f  radical  change  is  the  absence  of  the  land- 
owner, and  this  is  simply  returning  to  natural  condi- 
tions rather  than  o^ierwise.  Did  you  know  that  in 
olden  times  the  law  of  Massachusetts  was  almost 
identical  with  our  provision  here  that  land  shall  be 
free?  "  Bancroft  Ubm^ 

"No,  indeed.  I  supposed  this  was  something  un- 
heard of  before  now." 


158  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

"Well,  you  will  find  in  the  early  laws  of  Massa- 
chusetts the  provision  that  if  any  man  holds  land  idle 
for  three  years  he  loses  his  title  to  it,  and  the  courts 
shall  make  it  free  to  those  who  will  use  it." 

"There's  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  said  Mr. 
Sears.  "But  I  suppose  people  now-a-days  would  say 
it  was  an  old  Puritanic  law  that  was  not  worth  while 
considering." 

"It's  a  curiosity,  nevertheless,  and  shows  that  they 
recognized  the  fact  that  land  was  different  from  other 
things.  But  they,  no  doubt,  realized  that  it  was 
necessary  to  secure  the  user  in  his  absolute  possession 
of  the  land;  and  like  a  great  many  persons  at  the 
present  time  they  made  the  mistake  of  jumping  to 
the  false  conclusion  that  private  ownership  is  the 
only  means  by  which  private  possession  can  be 
secured." 

"The  wonderful  simplicity  of  this  change  made  me 
question  its  efficiency  at  first,  "said  Mr.  Sears  thought- 
fully. "But  my  doubts  are  rapidly  vanishing  under 
the  pressure  of  what  I  see  here.  Yet  there  are  two 
things  that  I  desire  to  have  explained  before  I  will 
be  satisfied.  Tell  me,  do  you  control  the  saloons? 
And  how  can  the  farmers  be  benefited  by  this 
change?" 

"We  have  no  saloons  that  could  properly  be  so 
called.  We  have  no  business  to  give  them,  I  think 
this  is  due  to  several  causes,  first  among  which  is  the 
absence  of  that  life-and-death  struggle  for  existence, 
with  its  terribly  exhausting  strain.  Life  is  worth  too 
much  here  to  be  destroyed  or  even  broken  by  dissipa- 
tion; and  public  opinion  would  be  outraged  by  a  case 
of  drunkenness  to  such  an  extent  that  the  offender 
would    not  care  to  repeat   it.      Liquor    can   be    freely 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  159 

had,  but  it  is  sold  as  any  other  commodity  is,  in  an 
open  manner,  without  restraint.  But  a  drinking- 
place  as  such  is  not  known  here.  Public  opinion 
seems  to  be  in  favor  of  other  meeting-places." 

"I  can't  understand  this  power  of  public  opinion," 
said  Mr.  Sears. 

"You  see  its  effects  every  day.  In  spite  of  laws  to 
the  contrary,  public  opinion  holds  your  saloon  doors 
open  day  and  night.  Why,  then,  when  it  changes, 
should  it  not  have  the  power  to  close  them?" 

"We  have  not  had  much  chance  to  see  the  residence 
portion  of  Freeland,"  remarked  Mr.  Bartlett  as  they 
walked  along,  "but,  as  I  told  you,  we  do  not  pride 
ourselves  on  the  number,  but  rather  on  the  character 
of  the  changes  we  have  made,  and  you  can  easily  im- 
agine the  conditions  that  surround  the  home-life  of 
our  people  here,  where  every  one  is  prosperous  and 
daily  increasing  his  wealth." 

"I  am  particularly  struck  with  the  fact  that  woman 
has  been  relieved  from  unwomanly  work,  and  the  chil- 
dren have  time  to  play,"  said  Mr.  Sears.  "With  us  the 
working  women  are  mere  factory  slaves,  and  we  have 
tried  to  keep  the  children  out  of  workshops  by  laws 
that  punish  the  parents  and  fine  the  employers,  if 
they  allow  them  to  work.  But  they  have  not  been 
able  to  stop  child  labor." 

"How  can  it  be  otherwise,  when  your  laws  are 
merely  patchwork,  made  to  act  as  plasters — to  cover 
up  the  wound  instead  of  healing  it.  Here  we  have 
purified  the  blood,  and  the  whole  body  remains  strong 
and  healthy."  And  Mr.  Bartlett  laughed  good- 
naturedly  as  they  entered  the  hotel,  and  met  Farmer 
Hardy. 

"Mr.  Sears  is  anxious  to  know  how  you  farmers  get 


160  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

a  benefit  from  having  the  land  free, "  said  Mr.  Bartlett 
as  they  seated  themselves. 

"I  came  from  Ohio,"  began  Mr.  Hardy,"  and  there  in 
the  first  place  I  would  have  to  burden  myself  with  a 
heavy  mortgage  to  pay  for  the  farm  or  use  my  capital 
in  paying  for  the  land  which  I  get  for  nothing  here. 
This  is  a  big  item  of  itself.  But  in  Ohio  I  found 
that  when  I  sent  my  stuff  to  market  it  had  to  pay  its 
share  of  the  rent  the  commission  merchant  paid,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  wholesaler  and  the  retailer.  And  when  it 
reached  the  consumer  he  could  only  pay  very  little 
for  it;  so  that  when  the  whole  expense  of  these  several 
rents  was  taken  out  of  the  price  the  poor  consumer  paid, 
I  had  hardly  enough  left  to  cover  the  cost  of  raising. 
I  have  sent  stuff  to  market  that  sold  for  several  dol- 
lars, and  yet  I  received  only  a  few  cents  for  my  work. 
I  have  known  my  wheat  to  sell  in  the  city  markets 
for  two  and  three  times  what  I  got  for  it,  and  when  1 
saw  the  enormous  rents  the  commission  men  had  to 
pay,  1  knew  it  was  my  products  that  were  paying  them. 
Out  here  my  stuff  is  handled  by  men  who  pay  nothing 
for  the  use  of  the  land  on  which  they  do  business, 
and  I  get  the  full  value  of  my  products.  If  they  add 
anything  to  the  value  by  their  work  they  do  not  take 
it  out  of  mine.  The  difference  is  that,  while  in  Ohio 
I  got  but  a  very  small  part  of  the  selling  value  of  my 
stuff,  and  farming  did  not  pay,  out  here  I  get  the  full 
value  of  all  I  produce,  and  I  am  prospering  beyond 
anything  I  could  have  expected. " 

"I  should  think  that  would  attract  too  many  com- 
petitors, and  prices  would  run  down,  "  said   Mr.  Sears. 

"So  it  would,  if  farming  was  the  only  business  that 
was  prosperous.  But  where  all  industries  are  equally 
so  there  is  no  extra  inducement  to  become  a  farmer." 


A  TRAMP  Ihl  SOCIETY.  161 

"You  mean  that  the  law  of  competition  protects  the 
farmers  as  well  as  the  others?"  said  Mr.  Sears  in- 
quiringly. 

"Yes.  It  would  be  impossible  to  have  the  business 
men  and  manufacturers  and  all  others  prospering 
while  farmers  were  not;  for  if  they  were  we  would  go 
into  competition  with  them  in  some  of  their  occupa- 
tions that  paid  better." 

"Do  you  find  any  advantage  in  being  near  the  city 
market?" 

"I  certainly  do.  When  goods  have  to  be  hauled 
a  thousand  miles  to  reach  the  consumer  on  the  farm, 
and  the  farmer's  products  have  to  be  hauled  the  same 
distance  to  feed  the  men  in  the  city,  the  charges  for 
hauling  them  make  it  cost  both  of  us  much  more  than 
it  would  if  the  farms  were  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
factory.  We  see  this  illustrated  almost  every  day. 
The  cheap  coal  at  the  mines  is  too  dear  when  it 
reaches  the  farm,  and  the  cheap  grain  on  the  farm  is 
too  dear  when  it  reaches  the  consumers  at  the  mine. 
Thus  the  farmer  freezes  for  want  of  coal,  and  the 
miner  starves  for  want  of  food.  By  bringing  them 
nearer  together  the  exchange  of  products  is  more 
cheaply  made,  and  the  benefit  is  mutual.  With  you 
the  land-speculator  is  allowed  to  seize  on  all  the  land 
about  your  cities  and  carve  it  into  city  lots  long 
years  before  the  people  need  them,  and  the  price  of 
all  the  land  is  raised  so  high  as  to  drive  the  farmer 
to  the  remote  districts,  where  he  is  separated  from  his 
fellow  men  and  forced  to  live  the  life  of  a  hermit, 
without  the  comforts  or  advantages  that  are  to  be 
obtained  by  associating  with  his  fellows. 

"Here  the  farmer  is  the  suburban  resident  of  the 
city.     His  well-paved  roads  are  but  extensions  of  the 


162  A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY. 

city  streets.  He  has  all  the  advantages  of  his  city 
brother  and  is  so  familiar  with  his  ways  that  you  can 
find  no  marked  distinction  between  him  and  the  other 
men  you  meet  here.  Under  these  conditions  the 
farmer  becomes  a  free  man — a  prince  among  producers. 
His  life  is  one  of  independence  arid  wealth.  But 
this  is  not  all.  With  your  farmers,  the  railroad 
monopolies  dictate  the  terms  of  their  existence. 
They  take  all  the  traffic  will  bear.  Here  the  people 
control  them  as  you  do  the  postal  business,  and  the 
farmers  get  their  goods  transported  at  something  like 
the  cost  of  the  service.  These  are  important  advan- 
tages to  us,  and  I  cannot  see  where  your  farmers 
could  lose  anything  by  the  change,  except  possibly  the 
very  remote  chance  of  selling  their  land  for  more  than  it 
cost  them;  while  on  the  other  hand  they  would  be  more 
secure  in  the  possession  of  their  farms  than  they  are 
now.  And,  retaining  all  of  their  present  advantages, 
they  would  also  receive  those  I  have  spoken  of." 

"You  seem  to  think  there  is  an  interest  that  is  com- 
mon to  all  men  who  work  in  cities  as  well  as  those 
who  work  on  farms,"  said  Mr.  Sears  inquiringly. 

"Certainly  I  do.  Suppose  the  land-owners  were 
made  to  leave  more  to  the  workers  in  the  city.  Is  it 
not  easy  to  see  that  the  farmers  would  go  into  the 
cities  unless  they  also  received  an  equal  increase? 
The  pay  in  all  occupations  must  rise  and  fall  together; 
you  can  always  be  certain  of  that.  If  the  pay  is  full, 
the  land-speculator  gets  nothing.  If  it  is  less  than 
the  full  product  of  labor,  then  it  is  because  the  land- 
owner has  taken  something  for  nothing.  That's  all 
there  is  to  it." 

"I  see,  I  see,"  said  Mr.  Sears  thoughtfully.  "The 
whole    plan  is    quite  clear    to    me    now.     It    narrows 


A  TRAMP  IN  SOCIETY.  163 

right  down  to  a  contest  between  the  industrious  peo- 
ple on  one  side  and  the  land-speculators  on  the  other. 
What  one  loses  the  other  takes.  Well,  in  that  case, 
my  whole  sympathies  are  on  the  side  of  the  indus- 
trious people.  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  making  it 
so  clear  that  the  whole  producing  classes,  including 
the  farmers,  are  benefited  by  this  means." 

"I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  now,"  continued  Mr. 
Sears,  as  they  walked  to  the  depot.  I  was  very  skep^*.- 
cal  at  first.  Then,  too,  I  feared  the  effect  would 
be  to  level  down  all  classes  to  one  common  lot; 
but  I  see  now  that  each  one  receives  his  full  reward 
in  proportion  to  his  abilities  and  industry  much  more 
certainly  than  with  us;  and  even  the  lowest  grade  of 
workers  live  comfortably  and  know  nothing  of  pov- 
ertv  or  the  fear  of  want." 


The  Credit  Foncier  Company, 

806  Royal  Insurance  Building, 

Chicago,  III. 


A  Tramp  in  Society 

By  ROBERT  H.  COWDREY. 


Cloth,  Extra,  $i  25. 
Paper  Covtr.  60  Cents. 


One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  times  is  the  fact  that  so  many 
pens  are  turned  upon  finding  some  solution  for  the  portentous  labor  ques- 
tion. Bellamy's  ideal  has  come  and  gone  without  affecting  any  great 
change  in  the  tendencies  of  the  times  or  the  nature  of  our  laws.  Ignatius 
Donnelly  has  given  us  a  startling  view  of  the  next  century  in  "  Caesar's 
Column,"  a  book  which  has  aroused  to  serious  thought  the  people  of  both 
hemispheres.  It  remained  for  Robert  H.  Cowdrey  to  give  us  the  individ- 
uaUstic  novel,  and  perhaps  no  man  is  better  fitted  for  this  task.  His  address 
before  the  Tariff  Commission  of  1882  attracted  wide-spread  attention, 
and,  having  been  the  United  Labor  Party  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States  in  1888,  his  writings  have  a  prestige  and  standing  with 
thousands  of  readers  even  regaraiess  of  their  literary  merit. 

"  Robert  H.  Cowdrey,  the  author  of  *  A  Tramp  in  Society,'  is  well 
known  in  Chicago  as  a  philanthropist  who  has  devoted  much  of  his  time 
to  investigating  the  evils  of  our  social  system,  and  methods  of  alleviating 
the  distress  of  the  working  classes.  Containing  no  fine-spun  theories,  this 
book  is  a  practical  exponent  of  the  evils  which  oppress  the  people,  and 
indicates  practical  methods  by  which  they  may  be  aided." — Chicago 
Graphic. 

"  We  have  had  a  dozen  or  more  novels  of  late  that  have  had  new 
economic  schemes  of  hving  for  a  basis,  but  mostly  advocating  state  social- 
ism. At  last  we  have  the  individualistic  novel,  and  it  ought  to  win  wide- 
spread favor.  Mr.  Cowdrey  has  strong  conviction,  a  good  command  of 
English,  and  fertile  imagination.  The  influence  of  '  A  Tramp  in  Society' 
will  at  least  extend  the  growing  feeling  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  maj 
be  nigher  than  we  think." — St.  Louis  Republic. 

"As  a  criticism  of  existing  conditions  it  is  sensible  and  incisive."— 
Chicago  Times. 

"In  the  form  of  a  novel,  'A  Tramp  in  Society*  presents  a  series  0I 
terrible  indictments  of  our  social  system  and  of  the  thing  we  call  law.  If 
all  the  children  of  to-day  were  made  to  read  this  book,  the  men  of  twenty 
years  hence  would  be  apostles  of  a  new  social  dispensation.  Mr.  Cowdrey 
tells  the  story  of  the  wrongs  he  has  seen,  and  he  deserves  a  wide  hearing." 
— New  York  Mornitig  Journal. 

"  There  is  not  an  uninteresting  page  in  all  the  book." — Hugh  O.  Penie^ 
cosL 

"  'A  Tramp  In  Society*  shows  that  he  who  controls  the  land  has  the 
power  to  control  all  industries,  and  therefore  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  the 
people.  As  a  thought-inspiring  book  there  are  few  better,  and  we  bespeak 
for  It  a  wide  circulation." — Hartford  Examiner, 


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